THE LOST SOUL
By Imen Oueslat
Many years ago he was pushed to leave his homeland and
walk
away, looking for a better life and a smiley future, searching for safety and freedom. Yes
he is an immigrant who came from the other edge of the earth, crossing the vast sea,
holding in one hand his suitcase and just some hope in the other hand. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the immigrant
who left his people, his childhood memories, his parents, his family and friends, who left
everything behind and came abroad looking for a new life. He found himself obliged to
cope with a new culture, new people, new weather, and a whole different community,
with the risk of never finding home again! And have his entre life split between two
lands.
What a feeling! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a heartbroken, immense pain and so hard for the soul.
This human felt lonely, fearful, horrified, and tearful and he will always feel the conflict of
his emotons like burning fire between his ribs taking away his heartâ&#x20AC;Ś.
Somehow, he managed after a few years to survive in this new place and tried hard to
build a new life, a new family and got on with the very different communites.
He found a job, studied and learned their language to be able to live comfortably. He
made a family and friends, and he has a home suitable for his wife and his children; he got
used to their system and their routne. He felt proud and strong; he climbed the ladder,
one step at a tme over all these years in his new country since he walked away. He
realised some of his dreams that he dreamt of when he was stll in his homeland but it
was impossible to do so when poverty and war stopped him.
Is he now settled and happy? Did he find his lost soul?
Unfortunately no, he will never felt complete: body and soul; it will be always lost
between two lands, his homeland and where he lives. His soul is lost in the mists of the
tme, his background shifts him back. His spirit will always be lost miles away somewhere
in his homeland. That is the truth!! With all his feeling of sadness and broken heart for
missing his homeland, his family and every corner back home.
The sun is shining again, dimly, but shining. He understood that he could survive and he
would survive because he would be away forever for his new family that he made for
himself all these years ago, hoping that one day he will find his lost soul and maybe not
feel the gap.

Christmas Day with family
By Mehdi Akbari

miles

Everything looked fine. A sunny freezing Christmas Day. I
was supposed to go home after almost a year; It was only 100
away but I'm a bit lazy and I couldn't help it.

When I drove off, everywhere was covered by white crystals:
Glittery, dry snow. It seemed nature was wearing a beautiful
white bridal cloth and as it was a bit windy you thought the
dress
was waving and moving around. I was telling myself: "winter, snow, sun and wind
are the combination of either a very good or a very bad situation."
After half an hour, the snow started to grow on both sides of the road and built two massive walls
that captured the road in between. As I drove through this unusual, natural glacial and artistic path
I saw lots of lines and layers in both walls with hundreds of different patterns. Flying and
dancing dry icy snow, moved by the wind, had created a fabulous scene that I hadn't ever seen
before.
I had forgotten to bring my sunglasses so the sun and the reflected light from the dazzling and
gleaming snow didn't let me open my eyes properly and it made me so uncomfortable. That was
the only complaint I had. I carefully avoided the oncoming traffic while I was listening to my
favourite music channel and whispered the song; I was warm inside the car apart from the arctic,
bitter weather outside.
All of a sudden I heard a blaring horn and immediately a cracking noise. Oh, my god "avalanche". I
was in pain all over my body and it was getting worse as the time passed; I wasn't able to see
anything. “Is it dark here or am I blind?” I asked myself. I was feeling cold; In fact, it was bonechilling. I tried to move my hand and look for my mobile in my pocket; Yes, I managed to get it.
Good news: I wasn't blind. It seemed I was in my car which was surrounded by snow. In fact, I was
buried with my car under tons of snow; I just recall "The avalanche". There was absolute darkness
and freezing. I was stuck in my seat with a locked belt that I couldn't move, numbness. For the first
time in my life, I was able to feel my whole body and nerves through the pain. The more I regained
consciousness the more I panicked. I started screaming and asking for help, but it seemed there
was on one who could hear me. I said to myself: “That is it. This is the end" and then all my
memories passed through my mind in a couple of seconds like a fast-forwarding movie and all my
wishes were bursting and being destroyed like bubbles. I saw my family around the table.

My face is getting warm and I can see light through my eyelid; I don't feel any pain, just a bit of a
headache. I open my eyes and find myself on the sofa sleeping, drunk, thanks to the sunshine that
woke me up.